Enchilada de Camote y Chorizo

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I intended to make potato and chorizo enchiladas with unused chorizo sitting in the refrigerator. On the way to the grocery store for potatoes I recalled I had unused yams at home that I could substitute. To my delight a got a great full flavored delicious end-result.

What most grocers label as yam in their produce sections are really sweet potato. I used Red sweet potato. Yams are native to Africa and Asia. Sweet potato and white potato is native to Central and South America. It’s confusing. Let’s get started.

Ingredients

Serves 8-10 enchiladas

1 lb Yams cubed ¼ inch

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

6 oz chunky Mexican chorizo

⅓ cup diced scallions

2 cups red chile sauce

3 oz cotija cheese crumbled

8-10 corn tortillas

Preparation

Chile Sauce

To make the sauce please refer to my recipe on this blog – Red Chile Sauce.

Yams

Caution, yams cut in small pieces roast relatively fast and can go from roast to a charred state quickly. Heat the oven to 425°F. Place the cubed yams in a 9 by 13 inch roasting pan. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and bake for 15-18 minutes. Give them a stir half way through baking.

Chorizo

Not all Mexican chorizo is lean so cook it separately to remove the fat. Remove from casings and cook (without oil) in a skillet for 6-8 minutes, stirring and breaking up the meat. If needed, place the chorizo in a mesh strainer and press the chorizo with a paper towel to squeeze out the fat. Set the chorizo aside.

Assembly

In a bowl combine roasted yams, chorizo, scallions and a few dashes of olive oil. Taste for salt and pepper and gently fold to mix these ingredients.

Place 4 tablespoons of chile sauce on a dinner plate. Using a “comal” or pancake griddle, heat a tortilla on each side sufficiently to make the tortilla pliable so it’s easy to roll. Place a tortilla over the sauced plate and rotate in a circular motion to coat the bottom side of the tortilla uniformly with sauce. Add another tablespoon or two of sauce on the open face of the tortilla and spread the sauce evenly. Place 2 full tablespoons of filling on the tortilla about ½ inch from the edge and roll the tortilla tight. Lay the assembled enchilada seam facing down on a serving plate or tray.

Prior to serving, spread more sauce on top of each enchilada, warm them in the oven or microwave. Sprinkle cotija cheese over each enchilada. Optionally for presentation sprinkle finely diced green leafs of scallion and cover with slices of avocado.